Here’s one that’s not seen often and wasn’t a standout back when new, a 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS 454. The entire package was played down and only a discrete rocker panel badge alluded to what was under the hood. It was so discrete that when I went on a tour of Chevrolet’s Broening Highway (Baltimore) assembly plant in 1971 I pointed out an almost finished example trundling along on the assembly line to the GM tour guide. He claimed that he didn’t know such a model even existed. Nevertheless, here is a very nice example in the steel. Located in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, it is available here on eBay for a current bid of $9,800, no reserve and twenty-five bids tendered so far.
Offered only in 1970 and 1971, the SS 454 option was the only way to secure what in 1970, was the new 454 CI V8 engine in the also new Monte Carlo. The real SS 454 action was with the Chevelle and by ’72, Chevy started to emphasize, more strongly, that the sporting aspirations belonged with the Chevelle and not the M/C. With that approach, the ’72 Monte Carlo still offered the 454 motor as an option, there was just no SS package surrounding it. Additionally, the four-speed manual transmission was a discontinued M/C option in ’72 as well. Rare? Pretty much, about 3,800 SS 454 M/Cs were built in ’70 (2.3%) and only 1,900 in ’71 (1.5%).
The listing for this Monte Carlo is a bit of a mind-run of information but it is thorough, nonetheless. This example was recently restored, via a frame-off undertaking, and the seller wishes to part with it due to a change in family status. The restoration has been extensive including the new Black Cherry Metallic finish, repainted frame, new upholstery, and rebuilt engine/transmission. He even has the build sheet! The contrast between the new buckskin vinyl top and the rich, deep metallic finish couldn’t set this Chevy off any better – it is a beautiful combination. While Rally Wheels were a common option on this vintage M/C, the ones employed here are not the originals as these are “flat caps” and were only used in 1967. It’s a small matter, they work fine with the red-stripe tire presentation.
Power for the SS was supplied by a 360 gross HP, 454 CI (LS5) V8 engine, the singular powerplant. The seller claims that he’s mined another 25 to 30 HP from the engine rebuild. Nice to see, is the stock, non-chromed appearance of the big Mark IV motor – the orange painted valve covers and black, single snorkel air cleaner are correct. The seller ads, “CAR RUNS GOOD SOUNDS NICE HAS A NICE EXHAUST SOUNDS RUMMBLY”. A Turbo-Hydramatic 400, three-speed automatic transmission puts the power to the rear wheels.
The goodness outside extends to the inside. The seller mentions that the buckskin interior which includes, “NEW DOOR PANELS CARPET HEADLINER DASH PAD NEW REAR GLASS AS FRONT ALSO THE BUCKET SEATS AND REAR SEAT ARE ORIGINAL NEW PACKAGE TRAY” was done as such to match the vinyl roof covering. Also of note is the new “Vintage Air” A/C system – apparently, it only works when “jumped” to the dash controls as it is not properly connected via the wiring harness. The optional center console and Chevrolet’s ubiquitous inverted “U” gear selector is always a nice inclusion.
There has been a significant amount of sweat equity and $$$ invested in this Monte Carlo, the seller claims $45K and he has receipts, Still, that makes a no reserve auction seem rather risky. This Monte Carlo is a fantastic find, and in stellar condition, but it is not a Chevelle and it will not bring Chevelle money. The seller also advises that the radio/speakers, passenger side seatbelt extractor, and spare tire jack are missing – nits in the scheme of things. The auction has quite a way to go and the seller reserves the right to cancel at any time. This is one of the best, if not the best, gen-one Monte Carlos that I have come across and the SS 454 option is the icing on the cake. No, it’s not a ’70 Chevelle SS, but it’s a pretty nice, way less expensive alternative, don’t you think?
Seat belt retracter? Shifter is commonly known as horseshoe.
No, it’s not a Chevelle, as you repeatedly mentioned, but I’d rather have this than two Chevelles.
I always heard that they may have made a few with Ls6. Wonder if it’s true? That would be a cool sleeper!!
I think it is a cool sleeper anyway!
With a little massaging, that 454 will put out way more torque and power than other engines can dream of….
No LS6 Monte Carlo’s have ever been documented. They were not even scheduled for installation. It’s an urban legend that will never go away and will never proven to be true.
Steve R
My best friend in high school’s dad was service manager at the local Chevy dealership…he ordered one with the LS5,turbo 400, 12 bolt posi… and when delivered, pulled out the LS5 and dropped in an LS6…he gave it to my friend in ’74, and within weeks, he grenaded the motor…I was riding shotgun at the time…his dad got him a used Vega after that…
The original print of the 1971 Monte Carlo owners manual referenced the ’71, 425 HP version of the LS6 as an option but the manual was quickly revised to exclude it. The hyperlink is below. That helped a bit with the urban legend but agreed, none were ever produced either year.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/823140/Chevrolet-Monte-Carlo-1971.html?page=82#manual
JO
You see cool things in owner’s manuals. The manual for a 1971 Fury listed the 440-6 as optional. Don’t know if any were built.
The SS Monte Carlo 454 was a LS5 not an LS6
Back in 1971 I had a 1969 L78 4speed, 4.10 posi. Chevelle SS my wife and I were at the Wis Dells we were cruising in town when a new MC 454 SS came the other direction it was definitely a solid lifter motor i tried for an hour to catch a stoplight next to it but never got the chance so don’t know if it was factory or built and never saw the car again all weekend still wonder about that today mostly because i really would have liked to know how my L78 would have run against it 👴👴 of course this was back in the day when i was young and foolish now I’m old and foolish 😁😁
This is my kind of car.
You can keep the Camaros and Chevelles.
Yes at my age and condition much easier to get in and out of and the ride can’t be beaten with that motor sitting back in the frame.
Owned a ’70, not an SS, but I loved it. This, a first year SS, is the one to get.
Before I bought my big block Camaro in the early 90’s I was looking at 70-73 Monte Carlo’s. I was looking for a big block with buckets with an auto. I looked at 4-5 and I couldn’t find one with a big block, and only found one with buckets. If I would have found one, I’d probably still have it. I ended up getting a 427 4-speed 1970 Camaro that I kept till 2008. I have always liked these, but it sure was hard to find one with a big block back then !
Can i assume color keyed TAN(& other avail colors than black) LOWER dash, & interior TAN windshield pillar covers are hard to come by for a 1st gen monte?
Custom painted firewall.
Fine example, otherwise.
And we called them staple shifters.
Have never understood why the First Gen M/Cs are not as collectible an item as the Chevelle. I personally much rather have one of these.
I live in far chciago burbs, low middle class 3 counties away from the city and this model monte carlo is popular mostly for people not being able to affort a first gen camaro. Same reason why two door nova is very popular as well, but try telling someone at a car show that its not even a muscle car…
Anyhow i see more monte carlos/novas/camaros than chevelles
Got a clapped out rust bucket in the yard right now, not a big block but, 400 sb th350 and 12 bolt. About the 2nd ’70 Monte in 31 years. Yes they are rare.
Had a 71 m/c 402 big block 300 hp ,400 turbo trans . Bucket seats . Beautiful car put over 160 thous. miles on it. Sold it 2 b_ in law. Looks like hell now. It’s outside Vegas in a little town. Still has motor and trans . Still restorable. Not running .
I read the entire description. I’m exhausted. Do I get an award?
I wish the seller well with his children.
I read the description as well. I think I now need an eye exam. ALL CAPS, REALLY?
4 speed was not available with the 454 but was for a 402. Go figure.
Nice ride. Had a green on green 70 Small block 2 barrel carb. 8in Rally wheel. Good time.
Had a 71 ss454 don’t, see tank on drivers side used for air shocks which were supposed to be standard in 70 on as package
Bob, the air reservoirs on those Monte’s were junk, they never worked and were a constant repair issue. So owners of these cars did one of two things. They just left it attached to the inner fender non-functional, or took them off and threw them away. JD
I am driving a 70 SS454 original auto level control works great, needs regular maint. like any 50 year old car.
Grant
Great cars……my 1st car was a ’70. 250 horse 350. Would love to have even the 396/402 equipped MC…….yep!
They were definitely an option for the Monte in 1970! I saw one on the showroom floor with a 4-speed, bucket seat. Later in 1970 I worked in new car prep and got to drive the only one the dealership ordered! THEY ARE REAL, PEOPLE! Also drove many Chevelles and El Camino, with the 454. What a year!
Never put a 4-sp behind the 454. I was a parts manager back then and still have those parts books to prove it.
A personal luxury car, there was a Pontiac like this as well, as everyone here already knows. These early Montes are cool looking, and the torque happy 454 makes it unique. One things for sure, these had the longest fan shrouds of any car. Its enormous!
The SS Chevelle’s were the performance cars, youth oriented street machines from the factory. The Monte Carlo was aimed at a different consumer in my humble opinion. Just sayin’.
They always called it the gentlemans hot rod and this one fits that description to a tee!! Really nice looking car!!
Nice Monte. She’s sitting at $24K right now with over a weeķ left.
Nice……………
I never understood these cars; neither fish nor fowl.
i just bought a 70 mc hugger orange with an ls3 5 speed with bucket seats payed 45 thousand for it could have bought a camaro or a chevell but i like the stance ofthe mc what an a$$
Funny that they were such low production #’s. In the late 70’s a friend had 1 as his winter beater. When it got stolen, he found another. Then, his stolen car was found so he bought it back from the insurance company and restored it.
Sweet looking car. I’ve always loved the 1970-73 Chevy Monte Carlo. I find this generation more attractive than the Colonnade style Monte Carlo that came just after.
At $30,100 with 6 hours left. Bringing the interest, for sure.
The 70 Monte was a low production car because it was the year of the big GM strike. In fact, don’t know where this Monte was manufactured but mine was built in Flint, Michigan. No one I know of who has a Flint car, SS or not, has their build sheet. The assembly line personnel were throwing them in the trash because of their disdain for GM at the time.
Been going to car shows for 20 years and it is rare to see one there. My 70 Monte is usually the only one there. I know of only one other in the greater Kansas City Metro area and I know the owner and have seen the car in person, it is beautiful. Most of these Monte’s are stuck in someone’s collection, have been blown up or wrapped around a tree long ago, making them even more rare on the street.
As was alluded to earlier, this car is different than the Chevelle. If you back up a 70 SS Chevelle to the curb and do the same with this car, the Monte is 10.5 inches longer, hence the reason for the extra long fan shroud and hood.
I wouldn’t trade my 70 Monte for any Chevelle. It was the first year for Monte Carlo and GM’s first attempt I think to merge both muscle and luxury into the same car. Today they call that performance luxury. In 1970 they called it the Super Sport Monte Carlo. My Monte is a numbers matching car and has had the engine rebuilt to LS 6 specs with ceramic coated headers, although no LS 6 was ever put in a Monte Carlo on the assembly line.
It is a beast when your foot is in it or a quiet, comfortable ride when it isn’t. Simply the best of both worlds.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkWs40safQrgkyHshw-K3-WJ_vfb?e=sXqYkC.
That’s a Beauty, John.
is it true that all factory LS5 came with solid lifters? I put a rebuilt LS5 in a 70 monte that had solid lifters with spun main bearing I completely rebuilt engine and changed to hydrolic. Wasnt sure if solid lifters were just the previous owners personal modification or if it was set up like that from factory
Mike, all Ls 5 motors in Super Sport Monte’s were hydraulic lifters. Any 70 or 71 Super Sport Monte that had a 4 speed in it was a dealer swap for the 400 Turbo with the horseshoe shifter. They did not manufacture those cars with a 4 speed. The only first gen Monte with a 4 speed were the 1972 Monte’s with the 400 engine 4 speed factory order special option. Hydraulic lifters were what was in mine when I re-built the engine. Bored it out to 468, put a Voodoo cam in it with roller rockers. It is now a fairly quiet ride with ceramic coated headers, a dual plane aluminum intake manifold and a Holly 750 double pump carburetor. Or, if I put my foot in it, a completely different car that can run past almost any car of the same era, including big block Chevelles.
They made both 350/4-sp and 402 4-sp Mont’s in 70. I had a 350 4-sp with the build sheet until somebody stole it out of my garage. I still have the top padded dash for it in my garage. I was putting a nice sound system in it but thankfully the radio was not in it yet.
The Monte used the Grand Prix frame and had a great following but no Grand Prix as far as sales the first two years. I have had both the GrandPrix 7 of them and 5 Monte’s but always leaned toward the Pontiac for performance reasons .The Grand Prix was always faster but my 1977 Monte would cruise the highways for days put 150k miles on that one.
You are right about the 350 4 speed Keith, I’d forgotten about that option. I have just one flaw in my 70 Monte. Some moron took the original radio with 8 track out of the dash and wallowed out the the holes for the dial posts so that the stock radio can’t be installed back in it again. They installed a cheap after market AM FM radio with cassette player of all things! I’ve found another stock radio but unfortunately I’m going to have to buy another dash face and install that first before I can install the stock radio. Bummer!
Yes tha is a bummer . Can you get one aftermarket. Like year one or classic industry
Only LS6 motors had solid lifters.
Haven’t checked my year one catalogue yet but it will probably be a winter project in my garage this winter or the next.
Like I said I have a perfect Black padded top from my 70 Monte. That was a fun car with the 4-sp and I have never seen another on. My car was Tipple Black Bucket seat car. If I ever see a 4-sp Monte again I will buy it.
Keith, if you haven’t already you can see a photo of my triple black 70 Monte in one of my posts in this thread by clicking on the hot link in my post. Might bring back some old memories?